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Case · 83

Youth Transitioning from Incarceration

Diversion instead of detention

Member

Marcus (17)

Service line

Youth Transitioning from Incarceration

Location

Alameda County, CA

Duration

12-month diversion

01 —

The outcome

A 17-year-old facing a first felony charge was diverted into a coordinated treatment plan — trauma-focused therapy, school re-engagement, and family support — with charges dismissed at the 12-month review.

Charges dismissed

Headline result for Marcus (17).

Dismissed

Charges at 12-month review

No formal adjudication on record.

1.8 → 3.1

Grade point average

Across two academic semesters.

94%

School attendance

Up from 61% at diversion entry.

0

New law enforcement contacts

Across the diversion period.

02 —

Background

Where the member started.

Marcus, a high school junior, was arrested during a group incident. A juvenile defender flagged untreated trauma from childhood exposure to community violence and requested a mental health diversion pathway.

In their words —

“They didn't treat me like a case number. My therapist knew my little brother's name.”

— Marcus, Youth Reentry Member

03 —

The challenge

What stood in the way.

  1. 01

    First formal court involvement; risk of long-term justice-system entanglement.

  2. 02

    Two-semester slide in school attendance and grades.

  3. 03

    Undiagnosed PTSD symptoms surfacing as anger and isolation.

  4. 04

    Mother working two jobs with limited bandwidth for court, school, and clinic logistics.

04 —

Our approach

How we built the plan.

Move 01

Coordinate one care plan across defense counsel, probation, school, and family.

Move 02

Trauma-focused CBT delivered by an adolescent clinician who looked and sounded like Marcus's community.

Move 03

Progress letters filed with the court every 90 days so treatment counted toward dismissal.

05 —

The solution

Step by step, what we actually did.

  1. 01

    Month 1 — Diversion plan filed

    Assessment completed within 10 days; diversion contract signed by court, family, and Atlas care team.

  2. 02

    Months 2–6 — TF-CBT + school

    Weekly therapy, credit-recovery enrollment, and an IEP review that unlocked accommodations for anxiety.

  3. 03

    Months 7–12 — Step-down & review

    Biweekly therapy, mentor pairing, and a full attendance record submitted at the 12-month judicial review.

06 —

Services involved

The full network on this case.

Enhanced Care ManagementAdolescent Behavioral Health (TF-CBT)School Re-engagementFamily Support

Next —

More stories

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